Recently, devices having touch panels are widely used. As an authentication method using such a device, the authentication method has been known such that a user draws a pattern (an authentication pattern) that is desired by the user on a touch panel, and a comparison is made as to whether the pattern matches a pattern that is pre-registered.
In the authentication method, an input operation during an authentication process is simplified compared with known authentication methods in which a character string, such as a password, is input.